Introduction: Islamism and U.S. Policy in South and Southeast Asia

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This introduction provides an overview of Islamism in South and Southeast Asia and draws implications for U.S. policy.

Main Findings

• Although post–September 11 both South and Southeast Asia have witnessed an upsurge in radical Islamist activity, in both regions terrorist violence targeting Muslims has galvanized the Muslim mainstream into taking a more forceful stand against Islamist terrorism.
• The challenge of containing Islamist terrorism will remain more urgent in South Asia than in Southeast Asia. Pakistan in particular will likely see continuing violence between radical Islamists and moderate nationalists.
• India may see some terrorist violence, but with less serious implications for political stability than continuing outbreaks of Hindu-on-Muslim violence.
• Bangladesh stands at an uncertain crossroads, with recent government scandals and failures having played into the hands of a small but militant Islamist opposition.
• Extremist variants of Islamism in Southeast Asia appear to be on the defensive or, as in Indonesia, in outright decline. With the notable exception of southern Thailand, the region’s Muslim population is now settling into a pattern of heightened religious piety, conservative but moderate Muslim politics, and antipathy for radical Islamist adventurism. Questions of religious freedom, however, will continue to present special challenges.

Policy Implications

• U.S. policy in South and Southeast Asia should be grounded on the recognition that Islamists are not of a single stripe but instead vary across a continuum ranging from moderately conservative democrats to armed jihadis.
• Instead of promoting full-blown secularism, fostering a straightforward separation of religious from state authority remains a worthy policy goal, because such a separation is vital for creating a sustainable democracy.
• Growing Islamic conservatism in cultural and religious matters in both regions will make the promotion of “liberal” notions of secularism, gender equality, and individual religious freedom more difficult for U.S. policymakers than was the case in the 1990s.
• Moderate religious conservatism, however, need not undermine popular support for some important features of democracy, including a free press and the rule of law. By strengthening these institutions, U.S. policy can contribute to the long-term stabilization of Muslim politics in southern Asia as a whole.